This invention relates to fishing floats and more particularly to a fishing float through which fishing line can be passed freely when the float is afloat in water.
Fishing floats find widespread use in several kinds of fishing, including bottom, lure, and jetty fishing. In bottom fishing, for example, the baited hook ideally floats just off the bottom of the body of water, where it can be reached by bottom feeders such as catfish, sturgeon, and carp. The baited hook is attached toward the casting end of the fishing line just up from a sinker at the line's end. Beyond the hook, a fishing float is set on the line at the approximate depth of the body of water. The fishing float suspends the portion of the line between the fishing rod and the float near the surface of the water, thereby preventing the line from lying along the bottom where it can become entangled in weeds or rocks. The float also keeps the baited hook off the bottom to enable bottom-feeding fish to detect the bait and bite the hook.
In lure fishing, a fishing float serves a further purpose beyond keeping the line free of bottom entanglements. The fishing lure is attached to the end of the line to be suspended by the float at a desired depth in the water. The float, while suspending the line, should allow a fisherman to jig or bob the line and lure to attract fish.
In jetty fishing, the bait must be suspended directly from above, or the hook and line are likely to become entangled in the boulders comprising the jetty. The fishing float attached to the line enables the line to drop straight downward from the water's surface into openings between the boulders where fish are likely to lurk.
For these kinds of fishing, a float that allows the depth of the line to be adjusted once it is cast is of great value. Often the depth of water is unknown, and the precast setting of the float on the line causes the hook or lure to be too high in the water or to be resting on the bottom. For effective jigging of a line, the lure must be able to move vertically in the water and hence pass through the float on the surface.
The need for adjustable fishing floats has spawned a number of designs. U.S. Pat. No. 2,902,792 to Friday, for example, discloses a spherical float that allows the depth of the line to be set when the float is afloat in water. The depth of the line is adjusted by a sideward pull on the line to move the line into a slit between pairs of adjacent fingers on the sphere.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,461 to Jacobi discloses a float that maintains the hook and fishing line at a predetermined position with respect to the bed of the body of water. The Jacobi float employs a floating cap moving along an antenna to detect when the line reaches the bottom. The hook can then be pulled from the bottom through a one-way clamp.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,303,598 to Spindler discloses a slip bobber that can slide along the fishing line. The depth of the fishing line, however, is controlled by a knot set on the line, allowing the line to be set at only one depth.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,336 to Reese also discloses a float that allows the depth of the line to be adjusted without removing the float from water. The float includes a break that can be set by removing tension from the line and released by applying tension to the line. With the tension removed, the line can slide relative to the float to vary its depth in water.
Other patents of interest include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,196,575 to Kotis, 3,087,275 to Svodba, and 4,571,874 to Smaw.
Despite the advantages each of these floats has to offer, they suffer from two primary drawbacks. For one, none of them offers a simple mechanism for allowing the fishing line to pass freely through the float by merely pulling in or releasing the line. For another, bobbing or jigging the line and lure is difficult with these floats because of the complicated maneuvering required to free the line.
Ideally, an adjustable fishing float should allow the line to pass freely through it until the line reaches the bottom or is stopped at a desired depth by the fisherman. The float should also be stationary in the water and not "walk" toward the rod as the line is cast or retrieved.